A Calculation
by Micah Debrink
Summary: A Pokemon Adventures fic. Fifteen Pokedex holders meet in Snowpoint, and each have their fortunes told by Sabrina. Then they board Platina's luxurious private yacht for an extended leisure cruise. What happens in the next few days...? Do their fortunes come true? Or do they come true, but not exactly in the way that they thought? Read to find out.
1. The Fortunes

(Yeah...another impulse idea of mine. This work is separate from my other work "Spring Break at the Berlitz's Estate". In this work, Blue is the male, Green is the female. Pokémon and its trademarked names and places do not belong to me. Hope you enjoy, and happy new year!)

A Calculation

"Are they finished yet?" Pearl was leaning impatiently beside the closed door. Not a word could be heard; the room was completely soundproofed.

"Black and White have been there for almost an hour," Red noted as he glanced at his Poketch.

"Do we really have to stand out here?"

"You can lean on my shoulder if you want, Crys…" Gold smirked at the female Johto trainer.

"OUCH! What the hell was that for?" Gold complained of his painful bottom.

"Stop harassing Crystal!" The culprit was Emerald.

"Don't blame him, Gold." Blue was always the mediator in tense situations. "We're all on edge, and we all know why…" He flashed the sealed cream-colored envelope that he had put in pocket. All the Pokedex holders had a sealed envelope. "Sabrina's written our fortunes in the document inside this envelope."

"And _whose_ idea was it to get all our fortunes told?" Pearl asked, almost as if he knew the answer already.

"It's for the experience!" Platina was still chanting to herself. She was probably the only one whose spirits hadn't been totally dampened.

"Well, don't blame Platina…" Diamond was busy eating the picnic lunch he had prepared. "…who said we couldn't open the envelopes until everyone was done?"

Everyone glared at Yellow, who was fanning herself with the brim of her straw hat.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she said reluctantly. Red didn't like them harassing Yellow like that. Just because one of them was brave enough to do the fair thing, everyone had to pick on her. He wished he could tell them all off for treating the Viridian native like that. But the repercussions would be too much for him to handle.

It was at that awkward moment that the door opened, and out stepped Black, White, and the fortune teller.

"I believe I've seen everyone?" Sabrina said, in the form of a question. All fifteen Pokedex holders nodded their heads, many of them anxious to open up their envelopes after waiting for over 8 hours. It was well past 4pm.

"That'll be P98,700," Sabrina quoted her checkbook math.

Everyone looked at each other, silently, with dumbstruck faces.

"That's…a lot of money!" Only Yellow was bold enough to say.

Finally after some further silence, Pearl spoke. "Well, it was your idea… _you_ pay!"

Platina was counting the cash in her wallet when White stopped her. "No, Platina, you've spent enough. After all, you're taking us around the Unova region on your personal yacht…what more can we ask from you?" White spoke formally, as she would to her senior (though in fact, White was older than Platina). "Business is doing well at BW Agency, and Black has paid off all his debt. I'll pay." Before anyone could protest, the Unova trainer handed a thick stack of cash to Sabrina, in a nonchalant manner that surprised even Platina.

The gym leader turned part-time fortune teller/pokémon coordinator counted the cash, and pocketed it with a smile. "Thanks so much. It's late…and I have to be in Unova by 6pm for a pokémon photoshoot. See you." And with that, she teleported away.

For a moment, it was silent, as was necessary in such suspenseful, long-awaited moments as this one. All fifteen Pokedex owners gathered in a circle, each holding the envelopes containing their respective fortunes.

Red, the most senior of the group, said the word. "Well? Are we ready?"

And with that, the ripping of paper was heard fifteen times over. It was quiet for another few minutes as they all read their fortunes.

* * *

(THE FORTUNES; in no particular order)

* * *

(1)Platina

"Soon, you will experience a remarkable change in your life that may seem unpleasant. There may be intense strife between those you are closest friends with, though you may not intend harm. You may find someone who you have great romantic interest with."

* * *

(2)Ruby

"You will meet someone who shares your visions, and you will sympathize with them. Be careful of misunderstandings, and note subtle hints from others. As you meet new people, you yourself will change. I see you wearing a new outfit. You are walking down a long walkway, and all eyes are on you."

* * *

(3)Red

"You will find a new focus in life, and perhaps social connections with those younger than you. Staying true to your morals and integrity is crucial during this time. Anger is more powerful than any pokémon attack."

* * *

(4)Black

"In the next week, you will be reunited with long-lost family, though possibly at the cost of extreme embarrassment. You will reach something that you have never reached for before. I see you floating above the clouds, and bathed under angel white."

* * *

(5)Sapphire

"In the next month, you may face a powerful opponent that will challenge you. It will take all your efforts to get through this struggle. Some people may laugh at you, despite your concerted efforts. I see you sitting in a chair in a state of great confusion. Alien figures begin to take shape, into objects of profound meaning. You are in tears."

* * *

(6)Pearl

"Death is on the horizon. It is important to assert your dominance, as your strength will be required in the coming days. Be careful about rushing into things. Doing so will prevent disaster from occurring. You may find yourself laughing in the face of death."

* * *

(7)White

"You may find new allies, including unlikely new helpers in your professional pursuits. You will meet your male counterpart and find great happiness as a result. You will find yourself replacing the role of another."

* * *

(8)Yellow

"There is too much interfering energy for me to make a reliable reading."

* * *

(9)Diamond

"You may find it necessary to rid yourself of excess things in your life; it will be evermore important to lighten up. I see you running down a long path, against a powerful wind. Close friends will continue to support you, and you will find new allies in your future journeys."

* * *

(10)Crystal

"I see you kicking many balls with extreme power and intent. I see you angry at something. You may find difficulties in your physical talents, but find that an increase in your mental and social capabilities compensate for it."

* * *

(11)Green

"You will be touched by a family reunion. You may uncover information which is best kept hidden, but you may find difficult to withhold. You may have to control those younger than you."

* * *

(12)Silver

"I see potential conflicts arising with those you know closely. There may be possible family conflict. I see you resting on some straw, soothed by a gentle ray of sunlight. You may find peace or a new intention in life."

* * *

(13)Blue

"You will find a new teacher, that will broaden your horizons. Old enemies may arise again, although not in their most palpable form. I see you having to let go of what you are pulling behind you, although with great reluctance."

* * *

(14)Gold

"You may be overtaken by a powerful, but non-fatal weapon in the coming days. I see you meeting a great beauty. I see many women at your feet, and they are all calling to you. I see you having to make a very important choice in the foreseeable future."

* * *

(15)Emerald

"You will gain a new role among the Pokedex holders. I see many people trying to remove your clothing. You may be the victim of jealous enemies. Your ability to pacify others will become evermore important in your journey."

* * *

(END FORTUNES)

* * *

"But as a reminder, you can share your fortunes with other people…if you want," Green noted as she placed her own fortune securely in her jeans pocket.

Platina was on the phone. "Yes, yes. Thank you very much, Sebastian." She hung up. "The yacht is ready. It is docked at Snowpoint Port, if we would care to head that way…?" The fifteen Dex holders slowly made their way out the door and into the frigid springtime snow of Snowpoint, yearning to be carried to warmer waters.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

(Well…what d'you think the fortunes mean? What d'you think will happen? What d'you want to happen? Let me know in the comments! Stay tuned for more.)


	2. Sleeping Arrangements

(My apologies to those who found the beginning less than satisfactory. I hope this chapter is a marked improvement. Thanks for reading.)

* * *

Sleeping Arrangements

 _Blue's disappointment; Pearl worries about his fortune; Platina's shows how spoilt she is; Crys dreads her decline; Sapphire starts a commotion; Red admires Black; sleeping arrangements are determined_

* * *

"It's a huge ship," Ruby gazed in awe, not at its size per se, but the fact that it belonged to a sole proprietor.

"Ugh…smells horrible, though. More like 'huge shit', if you ask me," Gold joked. Platina glared at him.

"That's 'cause you're standing right in front of the sewage tank, numbskull!" Sapphire grabbed her senior's wrist, with no more respect than he deserved. "C'mon, let's go. You're slowing down everyone."

"'Huge shit'?" Blue said, overhearing Gold. "I think that describes our fortunes," he said to Red. "Total waste of time. I could've gotten a one-liner like this on my daily horoscope or something."

"Yeah…who'd pay P6580 a head for some vague phrase like this? 'You will find a new focus in life.' 'Anger is more powerful than any pokémon attack.'" Admittedly, a lot of things made Red—among the most senior of the Dex holders—feel jaded. But this took the cake.

"Your fortune isn't even a fortune," Blue noted, "just some weird moral lesson. It's a piece of shit." He tossed his fortune with the envelope into the icy Snowpoint water. "Look at how bummed everyone looks. I can't help but think everyone else got crappy fortunes," he said as he watched the piece paper get wet and slowly sink below the surface.

"Perhaps…but Gold seems pretty cheery. What d'you think he got?"

"I don't really care, Red. You ask him if you want."

Red didn't approach the Johto trainer. After some hesitation, he followed Blue's example and tossed his fortune into the sea as well. He remembered when he always did the opposite of Blue, back when they were rivals. As if he had to be different to Blue in every possible way. But truly, they weren't that different. Then, they weren't identical twins either. He wanted to call out Poli to salvage the fortune for him, but then realized he couldn't see his fortune in the water anymore. The light was too dim, he reasoned. Red regretted throwing his fortune away.

"What's the matter with Platina?" Blue asked Red. "She looks…worried."

"Platina? I don't see her." Red squinted his eyes.

"She's like, 10 yards in front of you," Blue scoffed, thinking it was a joke to get back at him for…one thing or another.

"Platina? It looked like Sapphire," Red said. It was all a blur in the dim evening light.

"Sebastian, something's not right," Platina ran up to the loyal butler, who was standing at the entrance to the ship.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THE BIG YACHT'S IN DRY DOCK!?" She screamed, like a petulant child. Everyone within 100 yards could hear her.

Everyone stared as Platina walked back to the crowd she was entertaining. They seemed to desire an explanation for her temper, rather than what exactly made Platina so angry. "The big 20-room yacht that I had planned on using is unfortunately detained in dry dock for repainting. So we have to make use of this…drab little 6-room yacht. On the positive side, this yacht is newer. Father originally purchased it for a research venture in the Sevii Islands."

"Only 6 rooms?" Some people mumbled.

"What're we gonna do? I'm sure as hell not gonna sleep on top of Pearl here!" Dia complained, although with a humorous note. He was trying to cheer Pearl up, who was standing beside him, with his eyes mysteriously downcast.

"Don't worry. Each room can accommodate three persons; there shan't be a problem with lack of beds," Platina assured.

"But there're only six rooms, and fifteen people," Sapphire looked as if she'd struck genius. She was an excellent battler, but when it came to math, she was beyond rescue. "How're we gonna split it up?"

"Let's leave such matters in abeyance for now," Platina interjected. "It's almost dark, and I don't think the ship will be allowed to stay in port for much longer. Let's board."

"It's 5pm, Pearl. Isn't it sleepy time?" Diamond teased. "Pearl? Pearl? You okay?" It wasn't like Pearl to not lead a conversation; he was too masculine for that. The fact he was sleepy was the only explanation for why he was so quiet. But even an early-riser like Pearl had pulled all-nighters, and he didn't get sleepy so early in the evening.

"You wanna hear my fortune, Pearl?" Dia said. "It says I'll be running down a long path, against the wind. Maybe it's talking about my journey and my personal struggles with my feelings against tangible progress. Or…it's talking about me running to the toilet after I eat a whole bunch of refried beans…?" He cracked a joke.

Pearl didn't laugh. "Don't even tell me about those stupid fortunes," Pearl grumbled, pushing Dia's piece of paper away.

"Pearl? Why're you so quiet? Maybe you Chahiko to give you words to repeat!" Dia managed to coax a little laugh from the blond trainer.

"HA! You laughed just now, didn't you? See, you're not so gloomy after all!" Dia remembered when Pearl used to say that to Platina every time she laughed. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Pearl with the rock-solid willpower was the one who should be picking up the pieces and helping Dia, who was often in pieces himself because he was the bastion of emotion.

Platina led everyone to the door of the yacht. "Everyone's here, Sebastian. We can leave now." Diamond continued watching Pearl's mortified expression as they stepped inside.

* * *

"Pearl, you haven't said anything since we read our fortunes. Is there something wrong? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Diamond kept asking as they walked onboard.

"Sure, I have seen a ghost, Dia—mine! Erm…I…look." Pearl hadn't stopped clutching the fateful document in his hand ever since he read it. Diamond took Pearl's fortune and read it.

"It says I'm gonna die, Diamond. I'm gonna die. I can't believe it, I'm gonna die!" Pearl didn't cry very easily. Diamond rarely found himself trying to wipe the tears from Pearl's face; usually it was the other way round. For a moment Diamond felt angry at Platina. If only she knew her little childish impulse to "learn" about fortune tellers would cause her friend to be in so much pain.

Platina couldn't care less about Pearl, so it seemed. She was still busy arguing with the others on the sleeping arrangements on the "drab" six-room yacht. Everyone had congregated in the great room, "a pathetic four-walled excuse for a room", to quote Platina.

An oversized fur rug concealed the white marble and gold leaf floor, as if it was too modest to show its luster. The portholes were carefully disguised with silk, foil-backed light-blocking curtains. Everyone had a space to sit on the soft L-shaped leather sectional, surrounded by a solid mahogany coffee table, polished with lacquer until the ceiling light's reflection on the table surface blinded your eyes.

But the Dex holders' awe quickly faded as their tired, weary bodies longed for the room arrangements to be settled so they could at last rest.

"What about a random drawing?" Red suggested. "It's the most fair way."

"But speaking for myself, I won't sleep with no guys!" Sapphire objected. "Papa will scold me!"

"Please Sapphire! We're not kids anymore," Emerald protested.

"How about we do a random drawing, but segregate it by gender?" Sapphire said.

"That seems reasonable," Crystal nodded. Guys were jerks. The only people who would ever want to sleep with them were other guys. And their pokémon.

"Well, I'd much rather room with a girl," Ruby said with surprising audacity. "They're much cleaner. Except for Sapphire." She scowled at him.

Case in point, Crystal thought to herself.

"Well, I'm in favor of mixed rooms, I don't know what you're talking about." Gold started ogling the female members of the group.

"How would you like Crystal to show you how she kicks balls, huh?" Emerald referred to Crys's talent in pokémon capturing.

Crys sunk into her seat on the sofa. What had she turned into? As much as she adored Emerald standing up for her, sometimes she wished she could shut him up so she could force herself to stand on her own two feet and learn to walk, _again_.

That was the problem. Over the years, Crys had felt her confidence fading, and with every passing day felt like she needed to hide behind the desk at Prof Oak's lab more and more to feel secure about herself. Perhaps it started after she failed to capture Arceus.

At the Sinjoh Ruins, she didn't think that she would have made it out alive if Gold and Silver hadn't battled so valiantly. Gold had to stop her from running to Silver like a hopeless little damsel in distress, and she remembered a time when she was the one stopping and restraining little rambunctious Gold. And the only thing that was great about her that day was her outfit, the one that she refused to let Gold compliment her for. Her stupid little outfit that she didn't even like, and only wore because her mother forced her too. She couldn't be remembered for just a cute outfit. She refused to be basic like that. Yet that was what she was becoming.

"Ugh, I don't want girls in my room. I'm for Crys' suggestion," Black said. A few weeks of camping outdoors with boss was more than enough. Did you know that White snores like an exploud? And that tent walls can be completely see-through?

"I agree with Ruby. I don't want it segregated by gender." Yellow quietly objected, with surprising conviction. For her, gender was irrelevant. After all, she lived for several years as a boy, and frankly, she didn't mind it at all. It wouldn't make much of a difference to her if she really was a boy, or whether she had male or female or non-human company.

To Yellow, friendship transcended all boundaries: gender, species, kinship. She considered the uncle who raised her to be more of a father than her biological father ever was. She cared for her Chuchu as she would care for her child. The affection Yellow had for Red when she was a "boy" wasn't that different from the way she felt about him now.

"White, what's wrong? You seem disappointed." Green observed the Unova trainer, thinking that she was thinking the same thing that she was thinking.

"I dunno," White began. "I just thought this would be a more…exciting vacation, y'know what I mean? Why don't we pair the rooms based on the people we like the most?"

Green giggled with familiarity. She never realized how much she and White had in common. Then again, how could they not be alike? They were both aspiring entrepreneurs at one point. And they both loved to see love unravel before their eyes…and their hidden cameras. And, best of all, they giggled in a similar way.

"What if some people think we like a certain person, but that's not the case!?" Ruby protested. Silver, Crys, and Yellow nodded in agreement with him.

"What're you saying Ruby!?" Sapphire blurted out. She wasn't one to hold back on her feelings, no matter how trivial they seemed. "I thought you loved me!?"

A commotion arose among the younger Dex holders, with Green taking video clips of the live entertainment. Red facepalmed himself. He wondered how this whole dysfunctional group ever became united. He remembered when Pokedex holder reunions were just a quiet dinner with five or six people, from one or two regions. During his time, no one became a Pokedex holder for the social connections and fame. They did it because they loved training and battling and being with pokémon, with fame as a positive side effect.

Now since Red and Blue and Green and Yellow became so famous, everyone wanted to be a Pokedex holder. Filthy rich children with "connections" like Platina, prissy businesswomen like White, beauty-obsessed coordinators like Ruby, hardcore purist battlers like Emerald. He listened to the pointless little arguments. Since when did elite pokémon trainers ever become the subjects of a morbid soap opera?

Black was probably the only young Pokedex holder that Red respected. Although he was outspoken at times, Black, like Red, didn't participate in this little gossip-driven argument. The Unova trainer sat quietly on the now empty sofa (almost everyone had stood up in anger/frustration), looking at his pokémon through his Pokeballs, making sure they weren't paralyzed from boredom.

Red saw Black as a younger version of him, though perhaps louder and better-prepared. They both had won the Pokémon League, though Black had prepared for his moment for almost a decade. And now that he had achieved his goal with only a few hitches along the way, Black wondered what there was left, what dream he could fill his brain with except his fast-expiring, already-accomplished dream of winning the Pokémon League.

After conquering the League, everything seemed so easy for Black, and the Unova trainer treated life as such. He was almost too slick. That was the only thing Red didn't like about Black.

"HEY! Everyone, stop!" Crystal silenced the argument. She turned towards Platina, signaling for her to say the last word.

"It's my ship," Platina asserted quite cockily. "I shall decide the arrangements. And I say that the rooms shall be randomly drawn, _regardless_ of gender. Are we agreed?"

The Dex holders looked at each other. Black secretly looked at White. Gold smirked at Crystal. Crystal ignored Gold. Silver moved his eyes furtively towards Crystal. Ruby and Sapphire looked at each other. Pearl and Diamond looked at the same girl. Platina regretted having to make a decision between the two. Yellow just blushed.

Everyone nodded, Red nodding more strongly than the others. Cut-out slips of paper were carefully labeled with names and placed face down on the solid mahogany table in the living area. Using a ruler, Platina drew seven boxes with a silver dry erase marker on the polished surface of the table.

"Very well then," Platina said. "Now, everyone take a slip of paper, and move it to a box, such that they are evenly distributed."

"What's this larger box here?" Sapphire pointed to the drawing on the table.

"That signifies the owner's suite, room 2, which has two bedrooms, and is slightly larger. It would only be fair to say that three people must occupy that room. The other five rooms are identical: there is one double bed and a convertible sofa bed. Are we ready?"

"Here we go…" only Gold dared to say a word as the slips of paper were turned over.

Platina read out the arrangements.

"Room 1: Gold…and Emerald." The two acquaintances examined each other.

"Room 2 (owner's suite): Ruby…myself (Platina)…and White." Platina glanced at her companions. _At least they'll be clean,_ she thought to herself.

"Room 3: Yellow…Red…and Green." Green bit her lip, trying to hide her excitement.

"Room 4: Silver…and Crystal." Silver's eyes widened.

"Room 5: Sapphire…Blue…and Black." Black nodded at the fortuitous pairing. _A gym leader…and someone who's conquered all the gyms, just like me!_

"Room 6: Diamond…and Pearl." The two old friends nodded at each other with familiarity.

"A light dinner is being prepared as we speak. It's 6 in the evening right now. Why don't we return to the dining area at about…shall we say, 9 o'clock?" Platina waited for the nod of approval. "Good, that's settled then. I'll inform Sebastian."

* * *

(As always, I welcome your comments and criticism. Thank you for your support!)


	3. Behind Closed Doors: Inside the Rooms

**Behind Closed Doors: Inside the Rooms**

 _The Dex holders retreat to their respective rooms for some rest before dinner._

 _Gold embarrasses himself at Emerald's expense; Ruby, White, and Platina share gossip; Yellow gets a strange phone call while Green listens in; Silver feels sorry for Crys; Black finds commonality with Sapphire; Pearl comes to a shocking revelation._

* * *

 _ **Room 1 (Gold, Emerald)**_

"This is my lucky day, Emerald…!" Gold couldn't sit still on the leather couch, despite being exhausted from the long day. "Look, read my fortune."

"Mmph…?" Emerald had fallen asleep on the computer desk opposite from the sofa. "What is it Gold? Mind your own business."

"'I see many women at your feet…'" He read to himself, pacing back and forth on the carpet, grinning widely. That was the mantra that led Emerald into a deep sleep.

Emerald finally woke up to Gold's shouting, thirty minutes later. "DAMN! The toilet's broken. Emerald, don't you have to go as well?"

"Erm…yeah." Not that it mattered to him that the toilet was broken.

"I'll call Sebastian." Gold picked up the phone. "Yes? Hello? Yeah, our toilet's broken. Room 1, yes. No, it's quite all right, I understand, it's just a mistake. What!? Someone'll be there in two minutes? Gee, thanks! Bye.

"Man, these yacht staff are so efficient! I thought I was gonna have to wait—why is it cold in here all of a sudden? Emerald? Emerald? WAAAH!"

To Emerald's relief, the porthole was openable.

"What d'you think you're doing, Emerald!? You can't pee out the window like that!"

 _Knock knock!_

"Ack! That must be the mechanic! Emerald, stop peeing! They can't see you doing that!"

Emerald was whistling to himself, and the sound of the roaring sea outside made it impossible for him to hear Gold.

Gold opened the door. "Hi, thanks for being so punctual—oh, it's you Platina!" He chuckled nervously. _What if she sees Emerald…?_

"Are you getting comfortable, Gold?" Platina asked.

"Ah, well, yeah. Everything's erm…fine. Yeah. Fine. Very fine." He said quickly.

"Can't I come in?"

Gold was blocking the entrance to obscure Platina's view of Emerald. "Erm…erm…"

"Gold, is it just me, or does it seem a bit drafty in your room? Perhaps the heating is broken?"

"Oh, no, not at all—oh, you're here!" Gold addressed the mechanic, who had arrived at that moment. "Yeah, right this way sir." Gold led the mechanic to the broken toilet, in the process unobscuring the view of Emerald.

"Why's Emerald facing outwards from the open window?" Platina observed.

"Don't look at Emerald! No please don't!" Gold pleaded.

"Whatever's the matter with you, Gold!?" She scowled at the Johto trainer, then approached Emerald. "The poor fellow's seasick, he's vomiting. Are you all right, Emerald?"

"But…but I could've sworn he was—" _Peeing._ Apparently he wasn't peeing anymore, but the rough seas had gotten to him.

"Really, Gold, it's quite rude of you to not let anyone in like that." Platina glared at him with contempt, and stormed out the room.

When the mechanic fixed the toilet and left, Emerald closed the window, only to meet Gold's fury in front of him.

"What've you gotta say for youself, Emerald!?"

The short blond just giggled.

* * *

 _ **Room 2, Owner's Suite (Ruby, Platina, White)**_

Platina lied about the owner's suite. It wasn't slightly bigger. It was much bigger. It was a smaller replica of the great room they had originally gathered in, only the marble floor was replaced with a soft woolen carpet, and the sofa was a bit smaller, seating a modest 10 people. A baby grand piano was the focal point, sitting in the middle of the living room.

"That Gold of New Bark Town was most discourteous to me," Platina complained as she returned to her own room. "I was kind enough to ask him if he was settling in well, only he refused to let me enter his room!"

"Ooh! You mean something was going on between Gold and…!?" White mused. She was stroking her tepig Bubu, who seemed relaxed in the familiarly luxurious surroundings of the owner's suite.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. Turns out, poor Emerald was merely seasick, and had taken to the window to relieve himself. And to think Gold thought I didn't have a strong enough stomach to lay eyes upon such a trivial situation. Most presumptuous of him." Platina retreated to a claw-foot armchair overlooking the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room.

She poured herself a drink from the cut crystal carafe on the coffee table, seemingly engrossed in the nonexistent scenery (it was dark), but in reality looking at the reflection in the glass—White was staring at the Berlitz daughter, with clear dissatisfaction.

"I didn't know you played piano, Ruby," White noted as the Hoenn trainer finished playing a piece on the baby grand in the owner's suite.

"Well, when you do contests for a living, you have to have a wide variety of musical talents to accompany your pokémon's performances. Dad doesn't like to see me practice piano though, that's why I'm a bit rusty at the moment. He thinks I'll turn gay if I play the piano." Ruby resumed playing the piece he was practicing.

"I stopped taking lessons when I was like 7 or 8. I was never any good at piano," White said wistfully. "So I did pokémon choreography instead."

"Platina," White pouted, turning to the host of the retreat. "This isn't fair. We were gonna ask you about your fortune, then you left us to 'check on everyone'—total bullshit excuse, admit it—and you still won't tell us what your fortune is."

"Could you pass me a drink coaster, White?" She ignored her. "It's on the end table right next to the sofa. I wish to place my drink on the table."

"Now, this a'int fair," White insisted, refusing to hand Platina what she wanted. "If your fortune is boring, don't feel bad, mine's a total disappointment. Look, it just says 'You may find new allies, including unlikely new helpers in your professional pursuits.' I mean what kinda vague language is that? Maybe I could afford to pay P98700, but it wasn't worth it."

Of course, White omitted to say the most compelling piece of the fortune. She looked around the room, thinking who would be the "male counterpart" that she would soon discover. Was her "male counterpart" Ruby? Who else could it be? Lady Luck had placed him with her in the same room. And Ruby was her "male counterpart" in a way. A talented contest coordinator, and artistically inclined. They even said "Beautiful!" in the same way.

 _My fortune wasn't boring at all,_ Platina thought to herself. She would find "…someone who you have great romantic interest with". She watched Ruby at the piano, listening even though he didn't play that well. A space on the piano bench was beckoning her. Could she tempt fate so? She got up from her chair by the window, and passed by White—who sat up eagerly in hopes of hearing Platina's fortune—but instead stopped beside the piano, where Ruby was sitting.

"Here, let me teach you the piece, Ruby," Platina offered. She sat to the right of him on the bench. Ruby didn't seem to notice how Platina was staring at him all the while she was playing the piece for him. She was examining him. He had taken a shower, and was wearing a remarkably strong aftershave that made her want her to play the piece down two octaves just so she could be closer to Ruby and smell his scent.

However, she wondered if a self-claimed borderline gay like Ruby would ever have the chance of displaying any romantic interest towards her.

White was staring closely as Platina played the piece for Ruby with almost flawless execution. Ruby was impressed, but not particularly surprised. Her years of confinement in a stately mansion only lent itself to the Berlitz daughter's musical prowess. Ruby hoped that White wouldn't hurt someone out of jealousy.

"Oh, and Platina, I think you should give Gold the benefit of the doubt," Ruby said as she played. "He might've not wanted you to see Emerald for a very valid reason. You see, Emerald is often known to relieve himself out of a window…for other purposes."

"How so?"

Ruby whispered into her ear.

Platina tripped up on her notes and ruined the piano piece. She stared at Ruby, wide-eyed.

White sulked to herself, uninformed of the gossip circulating through the room.

* * *

 _ **Room 3 (Yellow, Red, Green)**_

"No, I don't mind sleeping on the sofa bed," Green lied. "Yes, it's very comfortable. See? The mattress is over 2 inches thick!"

"Are you sure you don't wanna just sleep with Yellow, and I'll sleep on the sofa bed?" Red cursed the fine bit of luck that had come his way. Green was the last person he wanted to room with, especially when he was also rooming with Yellow.

"Well…you've known Yellow longer than you've known me," Green continued lying. "You'll feel more comfortable sleeping with her."

"What're you talking about, Green?" Red wasn't buying it. "I've known you since we were kids! This isn't fair. First, you refuse to read us our fortune, and now we must heed your sleeping arrangements." If Red was gonna sleep with Yellow, it would be of his own volition. He didn't like to be controlled. Especially by a woman like Green. He remembered how unpleasant of a feeling it was the first time they met, when he got ripped off by her bogus pokémon boosters.

"Just take a shower, Green." Yellow's hair was wet. "You'll feel much better. It's a multi-head rain shower with a built-in sauna—you'll love it! We can settle the sleeping arrangements later."

"I…I guess I will." She appeared to give up. Of course, Green never gave up so easily. She left her Pokegear leaning against the table lamp, the camera and microphone in full view of the sofa and living area.

"Take your Pokegear with you, Green." Red said as he picked it up from its suspicious position against the lamp. She silently snatched it from Red's hand and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

"It wasn't worth waiting for my fortune," Red complained to Yellow. "I could've gotten this off the internet. I think Sabrina's losing her psychic streak."

"At least you got something. I didn't get anything. She just said, 'There is too much interfering energy.'" It was her own psychic ability to read pokémon's thoughts that conflicted with Sabrina's reading.

"Oh," Red chuckled, "I'm sorry. Every blessing is a curse, I guess?"

"Yeah, I guess," she giggled along with him.

The wired phone beside the sofa rang. Red and Yellow stopped giggling.

"That's the third time it's rung this past hour. Why don't you pick it up, Red?"

"Ahh…I guess. I thought once we went to our rooms, we'd have some peace, y'know. Those young Pokedex holders just can't find a time to shut up and relax."

"Yeah, I agree." Yellow felt like a chatot, agreeing with everything Red said. But she was used to that feeling. Even if she had become a stronger pokémon battler and more capable of protecting herself, she was used to getting looks from creeps walking around in the street. Red made her feel safe.

"Hello?" Red said through the phone. "Who is it? Silver? You want to talk to who?" He put his hand over the receiver. "It's for you, Yellow."

"Hello? Silver? Are you all right? Yes, yes. No, I'm not having any issues. Yes, I have—hello? Hello?" Silver suddenly hung up.

"Was that Silver?" Red asked.

"Yeah. It was strange. He asked me if my health was all right, whether I slept well last night. I was about to answer his question, but then he hung up."

"He asked about your health? That's not like Silver," Red said casually as he began to take off his shirt, in order to change into his pajamas.

"Not just that. Just before he hung up, I thought I heard him mumble something to himself."

Red stopped tying up his yukata. "What'd he say?"

"Well…I can't swear to it…" the blonde hesitated. "But I think he said something like 'You're really cute.'"

Inside the bathroom, Green listened to the entire conversation through a glass she placed to the door. Normally by this time she would be outside, at the double, spreading to the news to whoever crossed her path. But Red and Yellow were very dear friends. And as they had gotten older, that friendship had turned into respect for each other, including their honor and dignity.

But Silver was also a very dear friend. She thought of him as a little brother. And she said to herself the exact thing that an older sister would say, biting her lip nervously.

"Silvy…how could you?"

* * *

 _ **Room 4 (Silver, Crys)**_

Silver was very quiet for those few hours. All he did was make some phone calls to someone, but he hung up immediately after Crystal reentered the room. Whether it was out of embarrassment or some form of silent treatment, Crys wasn't sure.

Then again, it was the redhead's personality to be quiet. Not that she minded the quiet. It was nice for her to able to lead the conversation again. There were times she couldn't stand Emerald and Gold bickering around her like they were fighting over a stuffed animal or something. It wasn't right. She wasn't a stuffed animal.

"D'you wanna take the shower first?" Crys offered.

Silver didn't get up from the sofa.

"I can take the sofa bed if you want," Crys placed her bag on the unoccupied seat. Silver didn't move. She gave up.

"I think I'll call Emerald," Crys said to herself. "See if he's all right, the poor kid gets seasick—"

"You shower first," Silver suddenly spoke. "You…go take a shower."

"Why…why sure," Crystal stopped dialing. She smiled obligatorily at his act of courtesy, but couldn't help but feel a sour taste in her mouth as she watched Silver stare at her as she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Silver looked at the pictures stored in his Pokegear, the new Pokegear that Crystal had handed to her. Gold was right. Her outfit was pretty bad looking. That's what he told Silver privately. "It doesn't do her justice," Gold told him. "She just looks like some basic bitch in that. I miss her old style."

Sometimes he wondered if his efforts to avenge his father's evil were all in vain. Did sin pass down to children? And by the same measure, did absolution carry over to parents? Crystal had tried to led a sinless life. From young, she devoted her life to charity, volunteering at the orphanage. Gold himself took up the job at the pokémon daycare in order to become more like her. But despite Crys being the poster child of benevolence, Arceus failed to accept her and failed to fall into her Pokeball. Even an asshole like Gold was able to open up to Arceus. If Arceus failed to trust Crys, was her life really the benevolent one it was cracked up to be?

Though Crys herself never realized it, Silver noticed how quiet Crys had become after the most recent battle against Team Rocket at the Sinjoh Ruins. After it was all over, she headed back to Professor Oak's laboratory, and delved herself into heavy research. Perhaps she hoped that through her mental efforts, she would regain the strength and independence she once had as a younger trainer.

Silver couldn't help but mention Crys's talents in the past tense. "She was a great capturer." "She was a great trainer." At one point, she was probably the stronger female trainer among all the Dex holders. Did she think that she was a failure? If so, Emerald was her only glimmer of success. The short blonde kid was the only living memory of her happier years, volunteering in the orphanage. The Hoenn trainer stood up for her in a way that was a fair match to Gold's relentless heckling.

He looked at his new Pokegear. "We're friends, aren't we?" That's what Crys said to her when she handed him the Pokegear. And she never lied to him. If she wasn't sinless, she was the closest to sinless that a human could ever get. Silver heard the water pipes operating as Crys took her shower. Making sure she was otherwise detained, he picked up the phone and dialed again.

"Hello? Is this Yellow?"

Crys had suffered enough. Silver never had a thing for Crys. But the last thing he would want do was to hurt her sinless feelings.

* * *

 _ **Room 5 (Sapphire, Blue, Black)**_

"I'M GONNA WIN THE POKÉMON LEAGUE! JUST YOU WAIT!"

"You've already won the Pokémon League, Black!" Blue shouted through his covered ears. After he realized that Black had stopped screaming, he opened up his ears again.

"Sorry, man. Force of habit," Black apologized.

"I just heard screaming! Did someone get hurt!?" Sapphire rushed out of the shower in a state of undress, holding a Pokeball and ready to use it.

Black tried very hard not to look at the female Hoenn trainer. "Erm…no…sorry. It was me. Go back to…yeah. You're…you're fine. Very fine." He succeeded only partly. He didn't avert his gaze from Sapphire…but he was very hard.

"That's it, Black. We're banishing you to the sofa bed. Can't have this damn screaming in the night."

"Speak for yourself!" Sapphire eyed Blue angrily. He was expecting her to sleep with a straight male trainer that she hardly knew? She'd rather sleep with Ruby. She looked at herself and realized she'd forgotten to put on her clothes, and was barely covering herself with a towel. Perhaps she was more attractive than she gave herself credit for.

Sapphire went back into the bathroom to dress.

"Where's your fortune, Blue?" Black asked.

"I threw it away, all right!?" Blue was sick of talking to Black. Perhaps because Black was a carbon-copy of Red when he was younger.

"You all right, Blue?"

"Yeah…no. Thought I'd have a few moments of peace inside my room, and then I get Mr. and Mrs. Chatterbox here. I'm going over to Red's room. See ya."

"Where's Blue?" Sapphire came out of the bathroom door, this time dressed more decently, although still wearing form-fitting spandex shorts and her favorite red top that Ruby had tailored for her.

"He's gone to Red's room. Couldn't stand my screaming."

"I don't get it. Why does he never smile?"

"Who, Blue?" Black said, turning to the closed cabin door that Blue had departed from.

"Yeah. Being serious is one thing. I can be pretty serious. But I don't _not_ smile."

"I dunno," Black thought out loud. "'Cause it's cool or something."

"As a girl, I don't think it's un-manly at all for a guy to laugh," Sapphire said. "If you wanna see un-manly, go pay a visit to Ruby. But make sure you fix your outfit. Otherwise he'll call the style police on you."

"You're funny," Black said after he finished laughing. "We might be related."

"What…what're you talking about?"

"See? My fortune." He showed her the paper. "It says I will be 'reunited with long-lost family'. I know who my mother is. I know who my father is. They've always told me I'm an only child…what if you're my sister?

"Although it may be at 'the cost of extreme embarrassment', it says," Black noticed as he read on. He scoffed at the warning. "Please. I've been embarrassed plenty. You should see what White dressed up my Pokémon as for her latest production of the pokémon musical in Nimbasa."

"No kidding!" Sapphire chimed in. "Ruby always makes my pokémon dress up in funny costumes too! He does contests."

Black continued to look at Sapphire's body, though he stopped himself after realizing how weird it would be if Sapphire was actually his sister. Sapphire likewise maintained full eye contact for the entire conversation. Black couldn't help but smile at his newfound female friend. Perhaps he was less of a male chauvinist pig than White said he was.

* * *

 _ **Room 6 (Dia, Pearl)**_

"Damn it…the phone isn't working. We must be too far out at sea." Pearl slammed the receiver back into its place. "I hope that mom and dad won't cry too much when I go."

"Pearl, I don't understand my fortune here," Dia tried to change the subject. "It says here that I need to 'lighten up'. But I already do, I do my double act comedy with you, Pearl."

Pearl ignored him. "Dia, I wanna know you've always been a great friend. I'm gonna miss you."

"Pearl, this…this can't be true?" Dia finally admitted to himself. "You mean you're actually…gonna die?"

"Lo, doesn't the fortune say it!?" Pearl admitted to himself. "It reads, 'Death is on the horizon.'"

"Well, it doesn't say that _you're_ gonna die, Pearl. It doesn't specify one particular person. It could be any one of us, for all you know."

"Oh no Dia! I just had a terrible thought. If it doesn't say that _I'm_ gonna die…what if we're _all_ gonna die?"

"Why d'you say that?"

"Think about it. We're just outside of Snowpoint Harbor. The water must be 40 degrees* or something. There's still ice in the water, for heaven's sake. What's the most likely way any of us could die at this particular moment? If we hit one of those icebergs, we're…"

"Pearl, you're not saying—"

"Yes." Pearl began to collapse in tears. "The ship is gonna sink and we're all gonna die!"

* * *

*I use Fahrenheit. America, bruh.

* * *

(To be continued. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more! Comments, criticism, and other feedback are welcome and appreciated!)


	4. Rald and Sapphire's Fortunes Come True!

**Emerald and Sapphire's Fortunes Come True!**

 _The first fortunes come true over dinner._

 _Pearl is still distraught; Emerald gets some while Gold goes without; Black makes a promise to Sapphire._

* * *

"What's this, 'cave-ee-are'?" Sapphire looked at the buffet with curiosity.

"That's caviar," Ruby said as he tried to mimic Platina's nonchalance, taking a spoonful of the stuff and putting it on his plate. "The finest fish eggs. I've longed to try such a delicacy!"

"Gee, if this is what Platina calls a 'light dinner', I can't imagine what their feasts are like." Dia had finished the caviar, and was working on the fresh coldwater lobster, with zebra mussels and fresh winter wheat pasta. It was fortunate that they had stocked up at Snowpoint City, replete with fresh seafood supplies; otherwise there might not have been such a luxury.

"We nearly hit that iceberg just now, Dia." Pearl couldn't eat. He continued to stare out the window as he had for all of dinner. Pearl turned to Dia, who was still blissfully eating. "You don't seem too concerned about how _your friend_ is feeling." He was too busy eating. Eating, eating, eating. Pearl always thought that one day the gluttony would catch up to him one day and Dia would become morbidly obese. But now, Dia wouldn't have to worry about getting fat. Because soon they'd all be dead! Dead!

Dia miraculously paused his eating. "If you're really worried, Pearl, why don't you talk to someone? Missy…I mean, Platina… she would understand."

"I'm not telling anyone," he grunted through his teeth. "I'm not gonna tell the world that I'm a just a coward that lets a worthless little piece of paper dictate his future. I'm above that!"

"See? Your gut tells you that the fortune's not true. But even if we all are gonna die on this boat, wouldn't Platina and the others appreciate you informing them?"

"Sorry…am I late?" A voice said. Everyone, even Pearl, turned to look. It was Emerald. He had removed all his contraptions and undone the wax on his long blonde hair. And he was wearing…bathing shorts? All the girls went silent.

Emerald walked past the dining table and over to the door which led to the outside deck. He had that sort of expression on his face where you couldn't tell whether he was embarrassed or just didn't give a damn about what other people thought. But then it was so unlike Emerald, Ruby thought. Normally he was so adamant about shielding his body, mostly because of his height.

"Aww…he's so adorable!" Sapphire couldn't help but whispering to the person that happened to be standing next to her. Ruby gave her a look of disapproval.

"It's a bit chilly for swimwear, isn't it, Emerald?" Green finally said.

"Yeah, but apparently there's a big hot tub just outside with hot spring water imported from Lavaridge Town! I can't wait to try it out!"

"Oh, that's right. Some of the girls are in there right now. Platina, Crystal, and...I think boss just went out." Black hadn't eaten much off his plate. Among the guys, he was practically anorexic in comparison to the others. He was filled to the brim by other things. Like his dreams.

"Crystal? Hot tub? Holy shit!" Gold began stripping down to his trunks and unabashedly followed Emerald outside.

"C'mon Gold!" Emerald held the door for him.

"Oh damn it's cold!" Gold exclaimed as a brisk wind hit his face. What is it, minus 2000 degrees!? It's snowing, for heaven sake!"

"Emerald? Is that you?" He heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Crystal!" Emerald called out. Despite his smaller size and therefore higher surface area-to-volume ratio, he wasn't shivering one bit compared to Gold. Perhaps his excitement was keeping him warm.

"Come inside, quick! It's nice and toasty…" Platina scooted down to give Emerald some space as he immersed himself in the warm 104 degree water.

"Emerald…I think I'm gonna slip on the ice…wait for me!"

"Is there someone else with you, Emerald?" White asked.

"Oh, hell, it's Gold," Crys sighed. "Hang on girls, I'll get rid of him." Emerald was a girl? Or was he the least like a guy, with his long blonde hair and small body, so he counted as a girl? Did Crys not see that they had mixed company in the water? The Hoenn trainer warmed up as his anger increased.

"Gold, you're not welcome here! No guys!" Emerald was about to scold Crys.

"B-but y-y-you l-l-let E-E-E-Emerald in!" Gold's body began accumulating snow as his teeth chattered in the cold.

"Just go, Gold!" White shouted. "Crys doesn't want you around!"

"Let me do the talking, White," Crys immediately silenced the Unova trainer. She didn't want him to disappear off the face of the earth. She remembered how sad it felt when that happened the last time—when Gold was lost in time from the fight for Celebi. She just didn't want Gold…right now. Maybe she would want him later. Oh, she felt so bad for thinking that. But she was being honest with herself.

* * *

Gold surrendered and ran inside, just slow enough so that he wouldn't slip on the ice-covered deck. "Damn!" he shouted to himself once he went inside. "Since when did Emerald become the stud of the party? That's my job!"

Ruby giggled. "Yeah, well, he had a thing going for one of the maids at the Battle Frontier, did ya know?"

"Really? Was she hot?" Gold perked up.

"I dunno, I never saw her," he admitted. "I just heard it through the grapevine, y'know. Apparently he was also spotted with a young female nurse and reporter that same week."

Gold smirked, trying to conceal his jealousy. "No…no way."

"Yeah. Where's Sapphire, by the way?" Ruby mentioned that, perhaps trying to shame Gold by highlighting his own commitment to monogamy.

"She's over there, talking to Black." Surprisingly, Gold didn't pursue the subject any further. He dashed back into his room to change out of his wet swimclothes.

"You're not hungry, Black?" Sapphire asked about

"Like hell I care," Sapphire chuckled as she picked up a strawberry from the Unova trainer's plate. "So tell me, how was the Pokémon League?"

She was pushing his buttons. As brash and outgoing as Black seemed, he was very perceptive about these kind of things, having previous experience with Musha biting his head. Not that he could resist talking about it. "It was so cool," he began. "The battle with Iris was epic. And then it's so cool how Musha came back to me during that battle with Cheren, I dunno—"

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Sapphire put her hand up.

"Well, here, I'll show you the editorial in the Unova newspaper. It tells you everything. I have it here…"—he reached into his pocket. "Here you go."

The newspaper was using too fancy words to describe Black's achievements. "Erm…I…I…forgot my glasses," she said, her excuse for not being able to read anything in the article.

Black knew Sapphire was lying; that's all he knew. "You don't wear glasses, Sapphire. And I haven't seen you use contact solution before."

Sapphire squinted over the black ink on the paper. They were like alien beings.

Black scoffed. "What's the matter, can't read?"

She looked at him with sad lillipup eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry."

He let Sapphire lean on his shoulder. Of course for a lover of libraries like him, Black couldn't stand to see someone illiterate. He wished there was something he could do. But overlapping thoughts of him roaming through halls of the Nuvema library, poring through books about…the Pokémon League…paralyzed him. Think! Think!

He pulled out Musha from his Pokeball. As usual, the pink tapir pokémon clamped over his head, and started to eat away the noise in the background.

Sapphire gasped. "What the hell are you doing!?" The entire dining room went abuzz. White was outside at the hot tub, and unable to explain.

"I've read this before in some scholarly articles, published by Professor Fennel's lab," Red volunteered. "They have been experimenting with using munna and musharna as therapy for mental disorders—it help clear unwanted thoughts."

"I've got it," Black said out loud, as he pulled Musha from his head. He beckoned Sapphire to sit back down. The others in the dining room calmed down and started going about their own business.

"Sapphire, do you want to learn how to read?" Even though Black knew she had no problem with speaking, he found himself enunciating slowly in front of an illiterate person.

"Yes, I do," Sapphire nodded.

"Then I have the simplest solution to your problem," Black said.

"What?"

"I'm gonna teach you how to read. I've learned to read and write since I was three, and I want you to learn my secret." Black was so proud of himself. He felt a new dream creeping into his head. And all he had to do was look into the Hoenn trainer's azure blue eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the hot tub outside…

Emerald wondered where Latias and Latios had gone. Occasionally they would return to mainland Hoenn to see how he was doing. Sometimes Latias would change into the maid, sometimes the nurse, sometimes the reporter. That was his first experience with love. Latias really made a beautiful companion, and she didn't mind that much, either, since they both knew the relationship couldn't ever go too far.

"Oh dear…I should ask Sebastian to turn on the floor de-icing. Here Emerald, do partake in some refreshment." Platina offered him a mug and a large Thermos of a chocolatey drink. He took a little sip. He almost wanted to gag. It burned his throat as he tried to swallow the tiny volume in his mouth. It warmed him up way too much.

"You all right, Rald?" White was giggling uncontrollably as she took a sip of the drink. It was hot chocolate…but there was something different about it.

"Hey, no one calls me Rald! Not even Crys can call me that!" That privilege was reserved to Latias; if they would ever meet again to kiss and cuddle. But Emerald looked around at his company in the hot tub, and saw that that wasn't going to be necessary.

"All right, all right, if you say so," White continued to giggle. Emerald was so damn adorable. It sure beat having to spend time with with a choleric, brown-haired teenager like Black.

"I think I put too much bourbon in this cocoa, what do you think?" Platina looked at Crys, who had stopped drinking after one sip, like Emerald. Instead of drinking, Emerald closed his eyes and immersed himself a bit deeper into the warm water.

"I…I really like you, Emerald!" His eyes shot open. It wasn't Crystal who said that. She was relaxing in the water, like Emerald. It was White.

"You…you do?"

"I…I just think you're so so cute, Emerald."

"How much have you been drinking?" A whole mug, from the looks of it. But White didn't seem to be just letting the booze do the talking.

Having never been raised by his parents, he'd never gotten the full "talk" about the birds and the bees—although he wasn't oblivious to it. He'd look at all the pictures of attractive girls on the magazines, and the attractive guys accompanying them. He didn't look like either of them—maybe more like the girl, because of the long hair. So then what did girls see in him, really? He couldn't call himself the "Calmer" anymore; he was more like the stud among all the Dex holders.

* * *

 **Fortune Breakdown:**

(Relevant parts are highlighted in bold)

 **Sapphire:** "In the next month, you may face a powerful opponent that will challenge you. It will take all your efforts to get through this struggle. Some people may laugh at you, despite your concerted efforts. **I see you sitting in a chair in a state of great confusion. Alien figures begin to take shape, into objects of profound meaning.** You are in tears."

 **Emerald:** " **You will gain a new role among the Pokedex holders.** I see many people trying to remove your clothing. You may be the victim of jealous enemies. Your ability to pacify others will become evermore important in your journey."

* * *

(Based on what has happened, and looking at the rest of their fortunes, what do you think will happen next with Emerald and Sapphire? Stay tuned for more!)


	5. Red and Pearl's Fortunes Come True!

(Hey guys! After over 4 months, here is a long-awaited update to A Calculation! Thanks for your support, and hope you enjoy!)

(This chapter is one big game of Truth or Dare. I have bolded the names for easy navigation.)

 **Red and Pearl's Fortunes Come True!**

 _After dinner, the Dex holders gather to play a game of truth or dare._

 _White sees Black in a new light; Red finds commonality in Ruby; Crystal proves herself while Gold suffers embarrassment; everyone shares their most humiliating RPF stories; Platina jinxes everyone; disaster strikes._

* * *

Everyone took a seat around the oversized dining table, which could comfortably seat up to 16.

Green sat down. "So let's begin. Pearl…you all right?" He was standing at the door, looking as if he was about to leave.

"Yeah, erm…I'm a little tired, I think."

Green replied. "Nonsense, it's only 11pm, I—" Diamond silenced her. Pearl usually was in bed by 9, at the latest.

"C'mon, Pearl, come sit with us." Blue offered, sympathizing with the blonde's reticence.

"Oh…very well."

"Alrighty." Green removed the brakes on her cheerful demeanor. "Let's begin. I'll start. **Truth or dare…Ruby.** "

"Erm…truth." He looked at Sapphire. He was sure they were gonna ask about her. She looked at him, and seemed to approve, with a nod of her head.

"The truth now Ruby," Green reiterated. "Are you gay?" Everyone turned to look at him. He was messing with the bit of hair poking from the bottom of his hat with his right hand, and his elbow rested on his table, his left wrist hanging limply.

"Oh, is that what you're asking? That's easy then. Absolutely not." He rested his case by sinking deeply into his chair.

Green laughed in disbelief. "All right, all right. If you say so. Next."

It was Ruby's turn. " **Truth or dare…White.** "

"Dare."

"Excellent. Spin this bottle on the table…"—Ruby grabbed an empty soda bottle lying around—"…and whoever it points to, you must kiss that person. You spin it."

White closed her eyes as it spun. She heard it stop spinning, and everyone started laughing. She opened her eyes. It pointed to herself.

"Oh, that's too funny!" Gold couldn't shake off the grin.

"Does this means she has to kiss a mirror?" Sapphire suggested.

"No! Make her kiss the bottle!"

"Ugh! That's disgusting, Emerald!"

"Who're you calling disgusting, Crys!?"

"QUIET!" Green screeched above the commotion. "Let me have a chat with Ruby first." She whispered something in his ear. Ruby frowned slightly, then gave a little fiendish chuckle.

"Now, everyone," Green said publicly, "Since this is an…unlikely little scenario, shall we say, the person who challenged White—Ruby—shall decide unilaterally who White should kiss. Ruby?"

Ruby quoted verbatim what Green whispered to her. "'Kiss Black for at least ten seconds, with tongue. Make it entertaining.'"

White reluctantly complied. First she walked up to where Black was sitting. Black stood up with her.

"Hey…erm…boss." It was useless to try to appear casual.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" She whispered to him, although everyone could hear her. The room was dead silent, locked in suspense.

Without warning, she seized Black by the shoulders and pinned him down onto the table. She held him at arm's length, looking downwards at him.

"WOO!" Gold shouted. "Entertaining, all right!"

Black actually looked terrified. The Elite Four couldn't shake him. The Pokémon League couldn't shake him. Team Plasma and Ghetsis couldn't shake him. But White, at this very moment…scared the living daylights out of him.

She slowly went in closer to kiss Black. When she got to less than a foot distance from him, she smelled something from Black that made her stop. It was almost…home. She smelled home.

She hadn't been home in a while, having been so caught up in her work with the BW Agency. And it made being so close to Black somewhat comforting. Comforting, like warm fuzzies and (non-spiked) hot chocolate. But not in the way that made her want to kiss him.

"I…I can't do it," she said as she was a few inches from Black's mouth.

"What d'you mean!?" Green immediately protested. She was disappointed that White couldn't live up to her expectations. She thought that they had so much in common, she really did. But she was just an ordinary little teenage girl, raised by her own family, just like everyone else. Damn.

"Just…something about Black…I can't do it."

"Like what!?" Green asked dubiously.

"Something about him. Something about him…so awfully familiar about it." It brought her back to her childhood. The childhood she vaguely remembered. She had been growing up so fast in the professional world that she had forgotten even being a little girl. With her family.

"Oh c'mon don't be a pussy, White! Just do it!"

"I, I can't. He's…he's a good friend. I can't disrespect him like that. I'm sorry, Black." But of course that was not the true reason. Something about his deep brown eyes made it feel like she was staring into the uncanny valley. It was like they were so similar, yet dissimilar enough that it seemed frightening.

"I don't mind," Ruby said. "I didn't really care for white kissing Black, Green told me to do that. Let's just move on to the next person. White, call someone." He couldn't bear to watch. White didn't deserve this kind of treatment. She was a successful businesswoman, making a whole living out of beauty with her BW Talent Agency. All Ruby shone in was at Pokémon Contests.

Black got up from the table and sat back down. White returned to her own seat.

" **Truth or dare…Crystal,** " White said.

"Truth."

"If you had to choose between…"—she pointed to Gold—"…and…"—she pointed to Silver—"who would you choose?"

"Don't say anything, Crys!" Silver blurted out, only to realize what he had done and started blushing intensely.

"Ooh…that's a good question, Crys," Gold smirked. "C'mon now, who's it gonna be? First-class Gold here…or second-rate Silver over here?"

"Erm…I…I…"

"Answer the question, Crys," White pressed.

"Erm…I….well…pro…probably…Silver." The first-class one felt his luster tarnish from the failure.

Silver felt the knot in his stomach get tighter. He was watching Yellow. He remembered her with a ponytail, but today she had worn her straw hat. Despite its role of concealment, it actually made her seem more feminine. With the two wings gone after the fight with the Masked Man, she had placed a small pink flower in its place. Crys was trying to smile at Silver. He couldn't bear to look at her.

"Next."

Crystal looked around. " **Truth or dare…Red.** "

"Truth."

"If you had to choose between training and being with Yellow, which would you pick?"

"Wait, sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I think Crystal asked the question, but I can't be sure. Who's talking? I can't see who's talking."

"Don't tell me you've been drinking," Blue scolded.

"No, no, I swear, I'm sober. It's just…I can't see anything. I can't see."

This caught Ruby's attention. "Red, try these on. They're my spare pair of glasses. I wear contacts most of the time."

"Thank you…"—he put them on—"…wow, that's much better. It's still a little blurry, but I can see okay."

"Are you actually nearsighted?" Ruby asked. It was nice to have a fellow vision-impaired pokedex holder. He always hated the teasing he got from Sapphire for not being able to tell Wallene from Wally, along with a whole bunch of other terrible misunderstandings that she somehow heard about through "the grapevine". Goddamn Maryann and Tyler.

"I…I guess I am nearsighted," Red said. "I always blamed it on bright sunlight or air pollution. But I think the last encounter with Deoxys' psycho boost must have weakened my retinas or something. And it's only gotten worse."

Green sulked. "Now that we all know the _fascinating_ news that Red is nearsighted, could the questionee _please_ answer Crys' question?"

"I'd say I've done all I can with pokémon battling," Red conceded. "It's time for some younger trainer to take my place. I'd want to focus more on…settling down, maybe…" he hesitated. "Maybe…yeah."

Crys nodded. She wasn't pushy like Green and the others. "Next."

Red looked around. " **Truth or dare…Gold.** "

"Dare."

Red took a deep breath. "Gold, man, you and I go way back. We went training together at Mt. Silver. I know you pretty well. So just for you, I'll do this thing, let's call it…'Seven Minutes of the Devil'," he thought out loud. "Okay. Gold, point to the most attractive looking person in the room, now."

After some thinking, Gold pointed to Crys.

Crys squinted at Red. "Do we _have_ to do this?" Even though the Kanto trainer was her senior, this had to be the most immature, blatantly obvious way to get two people to kiss/touch/screw each other against their will.

"Relax, Crys, nothing's gonna happen to you," Red said in a more sympathetic tone. "Now, Crys, I want you to go over…and sit on Gold's lap. Yes. Like that."

Even Green was in shock. "Red…what is this? It's weird, even for you."

"Stay with me, Green. Now, Gold, your goal is to _not_ get aroused by Crys sitting on your lap. If you do get aroused, Crys, who is seated on your lap, will obviously be able to…feel it. Understand?" Red turned to Crys. "You're on your honor."

Even stoic Chris snuck a laugh. Only someone like Red would come up with a dare like this.

Red took his watch, looking very close because he was nearsighted. "Alright, you have 7 minutes. Time starts now."

For the first two minutes it was silent.

"Two minutes," Red said.

"Argh…Crys is getting heavy. Been eating too much sweets lately, huh—OWWW! That hurt!" Crys punched him, right in his groin. All the Dex Holders snuck a laugh as they witnessed the spectacle.

"Three minutes."

"Fail," Chris said with a sort of disgusted look on her face.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Gold, you lasted…erm…three minutes…twenty-two seconds," Red declared, trying to prevent his laughter from corrupting his speech.

"Oh, shit, thank god that's over!" Gold said as he gently let Chris off his lap. "Phew, that was hard."

"You're telling me…!" White couldn't help at laugh at the pun. "Ahaha…nice job, Crys, high five."

Crys sat down again, glowing with complements for how she put Gold back into his place. Emerald remained silent and withdrawn.

"Wait, Gold failed to complete the activity," Silver noted. "So there should be a forefeit."

"Nice tip, _Silver_ ," Gold said, glaring at him.

"Anything for a friend," he said in response.

"I know! Smack him in the balls, Crys!" Green suggested.

"No, I know, have him kiss Silver!"

"Guys, hold it!" Crys shouted. "I have an idea. Since we have to teach Gold a lesson in self-control…he may not kiss/fondle/sweet talk anyone, male or female, for the rest of tonight and all of tomorrow, until midnight."

"Hmm…fine," Gold conceded. It wasn't that bad of a punishment. He could easily keep it zipped for another day…probably.

"Next."

Gold was noticeably traumatized by the last dare, and was a lot mellower than he had been that night. " **Truth or dare…Black.** "

"Who, me…? Oh, erm…truth."

"Okay…and maybe this is a question I should ask everyone as well…" Gold said, looking around the table. "What's the weirdest RPF of yourself that you've seen on the internet?"

"RPF?"

"Real-person fic. You know, the kind where fangirls write some crazy shit about you, and—"

"Oh, I know what you mean," Black nodded. "I think the weirdest one I've seen…was this one-shot, by this dude called Micah Debrink. I was _dead_ , yes, dead. And I appeared in Iris' dream, and she basically fell in love with me. But then Iris goes to see my grave, and she gets shunned by Bianca and White—both of who adore me, by the way—just because she's black. And then at the funeral, they reunite in their grief over my death, and become friends."

"That's not fan fiction, that's a cult of personality," Blue quipped. "This person must be obsessed with you or something."

Crys chimed in. "I remember reading one fic, I forgot the name, where…lemme get this right…I was in love with Gold…Gold was in love with Yellow…and Yellow was in love with me."

"Me? In love with Crys?" Yellow gasped. "I think that's _my_ weirdest one now…"

"Oh, you want weird?" White said, trying to hold her laughter. "There're these fics I read where I have sex with Bianca, with all these weird fetishes. Ugh. I'm not even lesbian."

"Oh, I've read that before!" Gold blurted out. He quickly realized how embarrassing that was.

"So _that's_ what gets you hot on a Saturday night…" Emerald teased.

"Y'know," Ruby said, "There's an author who writes these stories where Sapphire and I meet trainers from other regions. Like in the first one, we meet up with Diamond, Pearl, and Platina. Then the next one, we meet with Black and White. I guess in a sense it's come true…funny how things work out, huh?"

"Nonetheless, I wish I could file a suit against those despicable fan fiction people that call themselves 'writers'," Platina added. "They have no respect for literary quality, while they defame the reputation of my respectable family name."

"I know that FFN, one of the biggest fan fiction sites, bans real-person fics," Red said. "So, hopefully, they'll be taken down soon, Platina."

All the Dex Holders giggled at all the ridiculous RPFs that had been written about them. It wasn't their fault, really. Their Pokedexes had skyrocketed all of them into the limelight, with hardly any time for a stop to just catch their breath. And despite all their differences: in their fortunes, their personalities, their abilities; they could all share this ubiquitous laughter.

"Anyway…" Green broke the laughter. "Now that we've had a little laugh…"—she giggled again. She couldn't imagine White and Bianca together. "Why don't we continue?"

"Yeah, let's go," Black said. " **Truth or dare…Ruby.** "

"Erm…truth as well."

"What would you do if you lost your hat? The one you're wearing now?"

Ruby was noticeably triggered, as was Sapphire. Black had not seen the salamence scratch, but he had excellent deductive reasoning and suspected something secret was hiding behind that hat.

"I…I would buy a new one," he answered smugly.

"Oh, come off it," Black said smugly. He didn't have much respect for a prissy boy like Ruby. Although Sapphire _had_ told him Ruby was an excellent battler, even better than her; he just didn't like to show it. Come to think of it, he and Sapphire had talked a lot that night. And told Black a lot of things.

"What would you do, really?" Black asked. "Say…say you could never buy a new one again. What would you do?"

Ruby turned to Sapphire, who gave him a concerned look. "I…I would get on with my life. I…I would try to survive." Actually, he would probably grow his hair long and comb the fringe over.

Black sighed. "Oh…very well," he said, not wanting to upset Sapphire. "Next…"

" **Truth or dare…Platina.** "

"Truth."

"What's the worst part about living in your big mansion?"

"The Berlitz Estate?"

"That's right."

She thought for a moment. "Well…erm…there is always a pretense of formality, in every situation. I have learned to adapt in good time, but one never gets the chance to truly experience a normal childhood." But then again, what was a normal childhood?

"It's not 'homey', you mean?" Silver asked. He could relate to her feelings, having been raised since infancy under the eye of the cold, imposing Masked Man.

"Yes, exactly," Platina said.

There were times she wished she could just scream and run around, just for the heck of it. Especially recently; her mood had become more volatile and impulsive, and had (regrettably) taken to the occasional drink to ease herself. She blamed her failures on all the adult obligations which had caused great strain on her mentally. First, she was raised as the only child and heir to the Berlitz fortune would be: to the highest standard. Then, she was shoved into a grand battle against two legendaries at the young age of 12. Then, at the Battle Frontier, she gained a reputation in her own right as a powerful battler; a title which she made sure to keep, through regular training. She had never had the chance to grow up like a normal kid.

But come to think of it, none of the Pokedex holders did either. She looked around the table. Green and Silver were interned by the Masked Man, a ruthless man who had no resemblance whatsoever to a parent. Platina sympathized with Blue and Sapphire: as the grandchildren or children of eminent Professors, they must have felt similar obligations to his family name as she did. Yellow was estranged from her parents, and was raised by an uncle.

Few people ever had the privilege of a perfect childhood—or the curse of one, Platina thought to herself. If their lives were so terrible, how could they have all become the successful Pokedex owners that they were today? The perfect marble decorations of the Berlitz mansion did not guarantee her success.

"Next."

" **Truth or dare…Pearl.** "

Silence.

"Pearl…? Pearl…?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I'm…I'm sorry. I was…thinking about something else. What is it?"

"Truth. Or dare." Green grew impatient. The questions were starting to get boring. _If only there was something that made it more exciting,_ Green mused to herself. _Perhaps a forfeit._

"We're playing truth or dare? Since when?"

"Since like, 11 o'clock!" White scolded Pearl. "Now answer Platina's question."

"Erm…truth."

"A reminder: no more than four truths in a row," Green chimed in. "Otherwise, it gets boring. Go ahead, Platina."

"Hmm…okay," Platina said. "Say a block of ice were to—"

"MISSY!" Dia blurted out. "Don't say that."

"I don't see anything insensitive about the question," Platina said. She turned to Green, who shook her head in agreement as well.

"Please, Missy, you don't understand—"

"Allow me to repeat," Platina cut him off. "Pearl. Say a block of ice were to—"

"MISSY!" This time it was Pearl. "It's…it's getting really icy outside," he said, looking out the window. "Perhaps we shouldn't jinx ourselves…"

"Don't worry…this ship is rated for ice." That was a lie. "Now, Pearl…"

"MISSY!" Everyone looked towards the door. It was Sebastian, the butler.

"Who is it now!?" Platina started getting annoyed.

"Oh…Missy…Missy…come quick. All of you. Get dressed. Oh…Missy…"

"Whatever's the matter!?" Pearl was the first to stand up, fearing the worst. He grew hysterical.

Sebastian's suit was covered in cold sweat. "The…the ship…it hit something…and we're sinking!"

Dia broke Pearl's fall as he fainted.

* * *

 **Fortune Breakdown:**

(Relevant parts are highlighted in bold)

 **Red:** "You will find **a new focus in life** , and perhaps social connections with those younger than you. Staying true to your morals and integrity is crucial during this time. Anger is more powerful than any pokémon attack."

 **Pearl:** " **Death is on the horizon.** It is important to assert your dominance, as your strength will be required in the coming days. Be careful about rushing into things. Doing so will prevent disaster from occurring. You may find yourself laughing in the face of death."

* * *

( **Disclaimer:** All the fanfics ("RPFs") mentioned in this chapter are real stories that you can read on this site. I have not named any authors or mentioned any story names, but you are free to take a guess as to what story I had in mind.)

(To be continued. Hope you enjoyed that chapter, and your feedback/questions/suggestions are always appreciated! Until next time!)


	6. 3 More Fortunes Come True!

(Glad you're still reading so far…thanks for your support! I hope the fast-paced action in this chapter is easy to follow.)

(In this fic, I am using the _**Chuang Yi nicknames**_ for the Dex holders' pokémon. The nicknames may be different in other versions.)

* * *

 **Gold, Platina, and Dia's Fortunes Come True!**

 _The ship loses buoyancy rapidly. Meanwhile, the Dex holders sit at the roof deck in a state of panic. They formulate a plan to escape while saving Platina's precious yacht._

 _Everything starts jiggling; Ruby reawakens old disputes with Sapphire; Black and Sapphire notice a new enemy on the horizon; Dia causes Sapphire's near death; Platina learns something from Sapphire; Red questions his own heroism; Gold has four desperate women clinging onto him; Pearl saves the day with a buzzing new plan._

* * *

"See? That is the cause of the sinking!" The strongest trainers had made their way to the starboard of the boat. The ship had scraped a shallow rock near the coast. Water was slowly leaking into the hull.

"ABANDON SHIP~! ABANDON SHIP~!" Platina was crying hysterically, running around the deck. She did not do well in life-threatening situations. She stayed out of most of the action during the final battle with dialga and palkia. Dia and Pearl did most of the fighting— _like true bodyguards_ , she thought to herself.

"Everyone, listen up!" White and Crys were much more level-headed in stressful times, and led the rescue. "We can use our pokémon to get us out of here! It's not very far to land!"

"Oh dear…the entire lower deck must be flooded by now. My precious little yacht…SEBASTIAN!" She started wailing, her knees falling to the ground.

The butler, who was standing by Platina's empoleon, ran to her. "Yes, Missy?"

"Get me something…something to calm my nerves…anything." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed the hip flask in her pocket, and took a big gulp. This was not time for modesty. "My…my boat! We…we must save it!"

Crys was listening. "I have it. Who has surfing pokémon? Get them all out into the water!"

All but her and Diamond pulled out their pokeballs, releasing them into the water.

Pearl stepped in. "Here, get this rope here. Tie it to all the surfing pokémon. It's a heavy boat, but well over 10 strong pokémon should be enough to tow it to shore."

The crew onboard the ship were all evacuated first, and were seated on the surfing pokémon.

Red dashed uphill to the bow (the ship was now tilting upward), and leaned against the railing. "Alright, everyone, get ready," he addressed the pokémon. "Pika in the front will be your guide to the shore." The trusty pikachu nodded on his surfboard. "I'm counting on you, Pika!"

Suddenly, the Dex holders felt a jerk. They all fell to the ground. As the boat was pulled, it scraped against rocks in the seabed. This caused the boat to shake and vibrate violently.

"Th-th-th-issss…w-w-w-won't-t-t…d-d-d-ooooo, M-M-M-issssyyy!" Dia struggled to balance his vocal cords as the boat shook.

"I d-d-don't-t-t…kn-kn-kn-knowww…ab-b-b-outtt…th-thaaatttt…!" Gold said, a wide grin on his face.

"S-s-s-toppp st-t-t-arrrinnggg…!" Crys scolded, covering her vibrating breasts with her arm. She got her revenge.

"OW-W-WW-WWW…!" Gold felt a sharp pain when Crys punched him in the groin.

Black pulled out his Brav, and commanded it to fly a couple of feet in the air to escape the painful vibration. "Since the crew are already on our surfing pokémon, we need to get our flying pokémon out to carry ourselves to shore! Boss! Hop on!"

The two Unova trainers flew above the shaking wooden deck to safety.

* * *

Blue used his charizard. Red went with Blue, as his Aero's wings were pierced (plus, with his vision problems he wouldn't be able to command it where to go). Green used her wigglytuff. Yellow used her butterfree, Kitty. Gold, Crystal, and Silver flew on their Togetaro, Xatee, and honchkrow respectively. Emerald rode solo on his mantine.

"C'mon, Ruby, hop on!" Sapphire was sitting on her tropius, Pilo.

"N-n-no, i-i-it's f-f-finnneee…" Ruby smiled, the shaking distorting his voice.

Sapphire paused, then sighed. "Not this again," she said.

"Wh-wh-whaaattt?" He had dropped to his knees from the intense shaking.

"Don't you get it!?" She shouted from above.

"G-g-get wh-wh-what?"

"You're abandoning me again," she cried, trying not to let the feminine tears get in the way of her masculine anger. "Just like when you shoved me into the aircar at the final battle with groudon and kyogre."

"I-I-I h-h-had t-to p-p-pr-prove m-m-myself to F-F-Fathhherrrr."

"That's bullshit, and you know it! You never even gave a damn about your father." Sapphire could always tell Ruby was lying.

"Y-y-you kn-kn-know I d-d-didn't w-w-w-want y-you t-to g-g-get h-h-hurt, S-S-Sapphirrrre."

"Well, it hurt here," Sapphire pointed to her heart. "Do you know how much it hurt to see you suffer in that way, with the jewels taking away you… _you_ , Ruby? And here you are again…but this time, you're putting yourself in danger just to manipulate my feelings! Well, it a'int working!" But it was. She couldn't stand to see Ruby suffering like that.

Ruby was embarrassed. It was always Sapphire who saving him, even from the very start, when she was disguised as a "pokémon" in her secret hideout. She was always too good for him. She was strong in spirit—stronger than him. Even if he was more beautiful, it was her that had the most beautiful heart. It hurt for him to say goodbye to her. But he knew it would be the best for both of them. "I-I-I-I d-d-d-don't…"

"You're acting like a goddamn coward, y'know!?" Sapphire cut him off. "You're not even speaking properly to me. This is hurting me more than—"

"Hey! Ruby! What're you doing standing there!?" White shouted from Black's Brav. "Hop on already!"

Not separating his gaze from Sapphire (and her likewise), Ruby slowly trudged across the shaking wooden deck to the braviary. Ruby clung onto one of Brav's feet while White clung on the other. The three of them flew away. Sapphire continued to stare.

None of the Sinnoh trainers had flying pokémon on them, so Dia rode on Sapphire's Pilo, Pearl clung onto Silver and his honchkrow, and Platina onto Gold and his Togetaro.

"Sapphire! Stop spacing out!" Pearl called out from Silver's honchkrow. "Look over there. Where the sun is rising over the ocean! There's something very strange going on…!"

"W…what is that…?" White stared at the black spots in the sunlight, a look of horror on her face. The discordant sounds of birds, reminiscent of a horror movie, increased in a crescendo.

"Musha!" Black commanded the pokémon to chomp his head.

"It's getting closer…it's approaching us…!" Green observed through her binoculars. "I can't see what pokémon they are…it's too bright."

"What…what is it…!?" Blue and Red stared, dumbfounded.

"…I'VE GOT IT!" Black shouted out. "Alright, everyone, listen up! Get your flying pokémon ready for attack! We must protect our pokémon that are towing the yacht right now!"

"Wait, Black, slow down!" Ruby protested. "Explain what's going on."

"See…over there." He pointed to the water near the shore. "Platina's yacht hit some shallow rocks, that's why it's sinking. The scraping against these rocks have loosened the baby shellder that cling onto the rocks, making them easy prey. The fish in the water are also disturbed and swimming in dense schools for protection. And this has resulted in…"

"…a feeding frenzy of wingull…" Sapphire finally saw as the swarm got closer.

"And they're especially aggressive, because there's so many of them, fighting each other for food. They'll attack at any provocation."

* * *

"Look, over there!" Green pointed out to Yellow.

"Watch out, Green…they're coming closer!" As they had the weakest flying pokémon, they flew at the lowest altitude.

"Quickly Green!" Yellow repeated. "Dodge them!"

"I…I can't! Jiggly can't steer!" The balloon pokémon was at the mercy of the wind.

"Kitty!" Yellow commanded to her butterfree. "Full steam ahead to the shore! Green! Grab my hand!" Yellow's butterfree slowly towed Green along with Yellow towards the shore. She reflected on the fact that _she_ was now helping her first mentor, the person that sent her to fight the Elite Four.

"We…we don't have much time!" Green said, panting. "The wingull are getting closer!"

* * *

"This isn't good!" Red shouted, addressing everyone in the sky. "Our surfing pokémon must be exhausted from towing the yacht! If the wingull attack them, they won't have energy to fight back! We'll need to defeat the wingull quickly! Everyone prepare to attack!"

Sapphire and Dia heard this, sitting on the former's tropius. "Gotcha, Red…WHOOOAAA!" Her air transport began swaying. "Pilo, what's the matter?"

The tropius was panting from exhaustion.

"Are…are you tried, Pilo?"

Sapphire listened as the pokémon began vocalizing and gesturing.

"What is it?" Dia chimed in.

"Oh…I think I know what it means. It's saying the load on his back on too heavy." Sapphire turned back to Dia. Dia turned back, but there were no other passengers.

Dia suddenly realized. "Are…are you saying I'm…WHOOOAAA…!" The tropius swayed violently again.

"Pilo, hang in there! Just a little more to…WHHHOOOAAA!" Sapphire lost her seating. She was now desperately clinging onto the neck of the pokémon.

"I'm…I'm slipping!" Sapphire was losing her grip as Pilo began wildly swaying again.

"Sapphire, no, don't…!" Dia lost his voice from the shock: Sapphire fell off her own pokémon.

All Dia could utter was a silent gasp as he looked down at the ocean, swarming with aggressive wingull. The fruit pokémon had stopped swaying once Sapphire fell off. But it didn't fly to shore; it too was staring down at the ocean, pondering the fate of its master.

"I'm…I'm so, so sorry, tropius, I—"

Dia hadn't realized how much weight he had gained. He thought it might be a problem when he got older, but he never thought it would put another innocent life in danger. Guilt, instead of hunger, raged in his stomach.

But then, he noticed something. "What…what's _that…?_ "

Much to Dia's (and Pilo's) relief, he saw below that Sapphire had managed to cling onto Platina's ankles, who was in turn clinging onto Gold's ankles, who in turn was flying his togekiss.

* * *

"Oh, erm…Platina. I guess this is a bad time for us to be formally introduced," Sapphire chuckled nervously, clinging onto Platina's legs. She had heard about the Berlitz family, and so far had avoided direct conversation with Platina only because she needed to be on her _best_ behavior.

"Who cares about formalities, I JUST WANNA GET OUT OF HERE…!"

"Calm down, Platina!" Sapphire said. "We're only 150 yards from the shore."

"I'm sorry…I don't why I'm feeling so down today…do forgive me. I have faith in Gold's pokémon. I'm sure we'll arrive safely."

In the position she was in, Sapphire could clearly see up the Sinnoh trainer's skirt. There, Sapphire saw the reason for her temper. "Platina, have you always had these bad moods?" she asked as a preface.

"No, it's only happened recently…"

Sapphire developed earlier than most girls. This combined with her simple upbringing meant she had received "the talk" at a very early age. Platina's parents were probably more reticent in that regard, she thought.

Sapphire finally asked her. "Platina, do you think that your periods might have started?"

* * *

"There's a wingull! Over there!" Green pointed. "Yellow, it's angry! It's gonna hit us!"

"I…I can't move any faster than this! Kitty! Full steam ahead!"

"Yellow, make sure you don't get—AAAHHH!" When Yellow turned back to look, Green's wigglytuff had been bruised, and Green herself had slipped off the balloon pokémon and fell. The swarm of wingull below were as ferocious as ever.

"Hmm? What is it, wigglytuff?" She read the pokémon's thoughts.

"Oh? You see Green? She's still alive? Oh, right, over there!" Green was at the end of a long chain with Gold, Platina, and Sapphire, taken aloft by Gold's togekiss.

* * *

Dia began experiencing stomach cramps from his overeating. "Ugh…I…I can't…" His body trembled when he tried standing. "Ugh…no…no…ugh…" It was hopeless. He gave in and vomited.

"Now, charizard—OHHH!" Blue exclaimed as a sticky blob of caustic goo fell into his eyes. "What the hell was that!?"

Dia threw up again.

Red looked up. "I'm not sure…WHOOOAAA!" Blue's charizard began violently swaying when another dollop of goo hit the pokemon's eyes.

"I…I can't see!" Blue groaned. "Red, you must guide chraizard, it can't see either!"

The sunlight was hurting Red's vision. Everything was a big blur of orange, blue, and green. "I…I'm sorry, I can't help you, Blue! I don't have any corrective eyewear on…"

* * *

"Brav! Brave bird, again!" Black commanded, then turned to his passengers. "Hold on with your life, guys!"

The bird pokémon descended, then accelerated rapidly in a straight line, hitting one of the wingull head on.

"What the—WAAAHHH!" Ruby was jolted by the sudden acceleration. "NO! Oh no!"

"Yes! Got it!" Black congratulated himself.

"Black! _Look_ what you did!" Ruby yelled. "My glasses slipped off!"

* * *

"Erm…I…" Red hadn't felt this hopeless in a long time. He didn't like being nearsighted. It was such an ordinary problem, and yet now he could do nothing to help himself. It was pathetic. After all, he was not just a fighter, but _the_ Fighter, according to Professor Oak: perhaps the best pokémon trainer of all time. He didn't _deserve_ to have mere nearsightedness as his downfall.

He had gotten out of so many other predicaments: how did he escape and survive getting trapped in ice for days? Or getting petrified into a stone statue with Yellow in his arms? He would pray to survive another moment. Not just that. He knew he would survive another moment. And another. And another. He _knew_ he would get through this. And somehow, things would get better.

That's it. He was a fighter. And it was his faith and determination that made him earn that name.

Red had clipped his pokeballs on his belt. "Poli! Rattle your pokeball!" He felt a light shaking. He grabbed the shaking pokeball and took out his poliwrath.

"Now Poli—OUCH!" Red exclaimed when something hard hit him in the face.

"What the hell is it now!?" Blue scolded, covering his eyes from the pain of the caustic vomit.

"Something metal fell and hit my head, I—" He put it on. It was a pair of glasses.

Red took a sharp sigh of relief. "Charizard! Turn a little to the left! Poli, go help Blue first!"

* * *

"Brav! Again! Brave bird…!"

The bird pokémon charged.

The nervous sweat on White's hands made it difficult to hold on to Brav's leg. "No…no…I'm slipping…Black…stop it…NOOOO!" White began to fall.

As she fell, she saw Green's leg dangling from Gold's togekiss, and reached out to grab it, saving herself from a watery demise.

"Wh…White? What are you doing here…!?" Green asked.

"Let's talk later, I—"

"GOD…GODDAMN YOU!" Gold shouted as he felt the extra weight of White on his ankles, pulling him down. "All of you, stop clinging on to me! This shit is crazy!"

Gold's Togetaro was struggling to stay in flight. It began stalling, and was tilted almost vertically. Gold clung onto his pokémon, while everyone below him clung onto each others' ankles in a long chain.

"C'mon, Togetaro…less than 100 yards to the shore! Almost there!"

Gold's hands were slipping on his Togetaro's "horns". He looked below. Clinging to his ankles, in a long line, were, in order: Platina, Sapphire, Green, and White.

"Gold! Whatever you do, don't let go!" White called out.

"Yeah, don't let go, Gold!" Green repeated. Eventually all of the girls were shouting:

"Don't let go, Gold!"

"Please, Gold! Hold on with your life!"

"Don't let go!"

"Don't let go!"

Gold pondered his current situation, a hint of déjà vu creeping in. Then he realized.

"Oh… _shit_."

* * *

Red pulled out Poli from his pokeball, and used its water gun to wash off the vomit in Blue's and his charizard's eyes.

"Our attacks aren't enough!" the fighter said. "We need something more powerful!"

Black took the cue from him. He threw his pokeball down. "Tula! Go!"

The electric spider landed on Sapphire's Walo. Looking above at the ferocious swarm of wingull, it fired a massive electrical web above, trapping the wingull. As per his trainer's instructions, it then ordered Walo to spray upward with its blowhole, coating the web with salty water.

However, because of the size of the web, the electric current was weak, and many wingull were able to break free and continue their frenzy.

"It's not enough! We need more power!" Red called out.

"More power…power…electricity…" Pearl muttered. "I…I have an idea! MISSY!" Pearl shouted across to the togekiss.

"YES, PEARL…!?" The wind was very strong.

"DOES THE YACHT STILL HAVE POWER?"

"I THINK SO…! THE GENERATOR IS STILL WORKING…!"

"Perfect," Pearl said to himself. "DIA!"

"He's not listening…" Pearl muttered. Dia was still feeling sick and had tuned out the dialog around him.

Pearl tried to get his attention. "WHEN YOU THINK OF POKÉMON…!"

Their signature double act line caught Dia's attention. "WHEN YOU THINK OF POKÉMON…!" he replied.

Pearl told Silver to fly his honchcrow towards Dia, who was sitting on Sapphire's tropius.

"Dia," he said, "I know you can't really fight right now, but can I borrow your rotom?"

"Why?"

"You'll see. Just give it to me."

Dia was in no mood to criticize Pearl's over-domineering personality. He handed Pearl the pokeball.

"Rotom!" Pearl released the pokémon. "I will be giving you commands in Dia's place! Go to the boat, and take control of the generator. Overload it until it generates an extremely high amount of electricity."

The pokémon turned to his trainer. Dia reluctantly nodded. Then it carried out Pearl's orders.

Dia objected. "Pearl, I could've told Rotom to…"

Pearl held his hand up to silence Dia. "We can talk later. Now's not the time. Dia, tell tropius to get to shore, full steam ahead." Pearl asked Silver to do the same with his honchcrow.

"EVERYONE, LISTEN UP!" Pearl called out to all the airborne Dex holders. "Fly to shore as fast as you can! Our surfing pokémon will be safe from the wingull!"

He turned to Black, who was piloting his Brav. "Black, can you ask your galvantula to cut the ropes connecting our surfing pokémon?"

"Sure thing, Pearl." Black commanded his pokémon exactly so. He then noticed the desperate chain of humans hanging off of Gold and his togekiss.

"I…I better give them a hand," the Unova trainer said. "Brav can lift cars into the air, so he should be able to take all of them to shore. Ruby, hop on to Brav's back, it'll be easier that way."

* * *

Yellow and Emerald reached the shore first on their butterfree and mantine respectively. Crys and her Xatee arrived next. Red and Blue arrived next on the latter's charizard. Silver and Pearl arrived next on honchcrow. Dia followed on Sapphire's tropius. The long chain of Gold and 4 female trainers, carried by Black's Brav (with Ruby riding along with Black), were the last trainers to arrive. The surfing pokémon carrying the crew arrived soon after.

"Oh dear…my beautiful ship…" Platina murmured in horror. The wingull were fiercely competing for the last scraps of food, and began making dents on the ship. "Stop them! Another hour, and my beautiful yacht will be ruined…!"

"Don't worry, Missy." Pearl cleared his throat. "Dia's rotom is still on the boat, and galvantula's web is still in place. It's all part of my plan. Any second now…"

Suddenly, there was a little flash of electricity from the yacht. It traveled readily through Tula's web, where it was magnified by the saltwater-covered thread. All the wingull within a few feet of the web were electrocuted, and fainted.

"It's done," Pearl said softly.

Platina heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the yacht. "Thank you," she said to Pearl. Then she turned to Sapphire. "Now I know what it is I have…this 'period' thing…I almost…I feel more at ease."

The Hoenn trainer smiled.

"Alright then! Thank you very much for your assistance," Platina addressed everyone. "Sebastian, contact the Coast Guard. Tell them to order a tug boat, and get the yacht into a repair dock."

"Very good, Missy."

Sapphire looked around her. Although it was still chilly, the winter weather here was much milder, with the sun shining brightly on them. A moderately-sized lighthouse was the most prominent building. "Oh, erm, Platina, you live in Sinnoh, I have a question…" she said.

"Certainly."

"Where are we!?"

* * *

 **Fortune Breakdown:**

(Relevant parts are highlighted in bold)

 **Platina:** "Soon, **you will experience a remarkable change in your life that may seem unpleasant.** There may be intense strife between those you are closest friends with, though you may not intend harm. You may find someone who you have great romantic interest with."

 **Diamond:** "You may find it necessary to **rid yourself of excess things** in your life; it will be evermore **important to lighten up**. I see you running down a long path, against a powerful wind. Close friends will continue to support you, and you will find new allies in your future journeys."

 **Gold:** "You may be overtaken by a powerful, but non-fatal weapon in the coming days. I see you meeting a great beauty. **I see many women at your feet, and they are all calling to you.** I see you having to make a very important choice in the foreseeable future."

 **Other Relevant Fortunes:**

 **Pearl:** "Death is on the horizon. **It is important to assert your dominance, as your strength will be required in the coming days.** Be careful about rushing into things. Doing so will prevent disaster from occurring. You may find yourself laughing in the face of death."

* * *

( ** _Disclaimer:_** This story is set shortly after the Black and White saga. Using the calendar from **Zero Slash One** (a fascinating Pokemon Adventures specialist, do check him out), I would estimate Platina to be a little over 14 at the time of the story. So it's definitely possible, though she's a late bloomer.)

( **To be continued**. Whew, that's seven fortunes down, seven to go! (Not counting Yellow.) But as you can see with Pearl, other parts of their fortunes may also come true later, so it's not nearly over for any of them.

Thanks for reading! **What city do you think the Dex holders landed at?** Let me know in the comments! I always welcome your other comments/feedback as well. See you next time!)


End file.
